Articles: aggressiveness

Here at the JediHorsemanship ranch, we put a very high priority on the health and wellbeing of our horses, and we know this is important for people who own horses. This is a constant process of research and study on the optimal environment, nutrition and exercise that our furry friends need to become strong and live long, healthy lives. Much of this research involves the equine behavior in their natural environment. In the wild, horses will travel 10-20 miles a day, and will graze for 16 hours a day. Their digestive system is designed to process food continuously. So why do we feed our horses only 2 or 3 times a day? Is this really healthy for them?


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You enter your horse’s stall or corral, he flattens his ears, flares his nostrils, swishes his tail and threatens to kick or bite. He's sending a clear message: "Get OUT!". Does this look familiar? If so, your horse is exhibiting a normal horse behavior of dominance. Perhaps he only displays this aggression when you bring his food. You’re worried that he’ll eventually hurt someone. Why does he do this and what can you do about it? Aggression toward people is especially common with many horses who have a history of abuse, or who are confined to small corrals or in stalls, but can also be common with horses that spend a lot of time around people. Horses can get used to people to a point where they start viewing us a other herd members. Aggression is often manifested around food, or it may just be whenever we enter their stall or corral. If we don’t curb this behavior, it can be dangerous. Horses outweigh humans by over 1,000 lbs, it is easy for them to hurt us, even if they don’t mean to.


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